Hotspot 4

Parking structure 9 is located right by the California Nanosystems Institute (CNSI) building, it is a permit-only structure. Access to the structure by cars require keycards. Most of the users of the structure are students and workers with frequent access to the south campus buildings. The structure is above-ground and has exists in both the north and south directions. Signs are sufficient from the outside indicating that this is Parking Structure 9, which may help people to pinpoint their location.

Within the structure, signs are available indicating the level of the floor. There are also “no pedestrian” signs that discourage pedestrians from using vehicle-only paths and lit “exit” signs. Walls are designed in a way that allows natural light to maximize visibility within the structure during daytime. However, there are no directional signs within the structure that inform people of which buildings an exit leads to. In terms of sightline, however, cars create major blockage. “Exit” signs are often blocked by cars, and are hard to detect by shorter people. There are also walls separating different lanes that make it difficult to achieve desirable sightlines. Potential assailants can hide behind cars and such walls. However, stairwells by the structure do use rails (instead of walls), which improves sightlines. The structure has a decent amount of usage during business hours, making it more populated. Since it is a parking structure with wide exits, the design naturally provides victims multiple alternative directions to escape in the event of an assault. Cars and walls mentioned in the above paragraph can also provide victims places to hide, further reducing assailants’ ability to predict a victim's movements At the south entrance, “911 quick link” alert systems are available on every floor. However, they too suffer from blockage of view. A member of our group with height 5’4’’ could not quickly detect the system while another member with height 5’11” could. At the east end of the structure (no exit), “911” units are also available. However, since they are unlit and that this part of the structure is relatively dark, it is extremely difficult to detect. The structure is also not equipped with any visible surveillance camera.